“Of course I wanna see my name on the score list,” the captain said. “We’re gonna try. It’s not frustrating. Right now most important thing it’s not about make a points or make goals. We have to take a win. One win and then I think it’s gonna be a very relief for us.”

This season, Ovechkin has no goals and just one assist. Calling that a slow start is being polite.

In Washington’s last game against New Jersey, Ovechkin played on a line with Jay Beagle and Joey Crabb. If those don’t sound like the sorts of players you’d expect him to be with normally, you’re right. Coach Adam Oates is trying to get things figured out on the fly as the team struggles, but Ovechkin finding his stride would go a long way towards solving the team’s problems.